Uncensored handholding warning!!! Skip if this is too lewd for you!]
The trio soon left the sauna room after having their fill. All in all, they lasted for quite some time, about an hour or so. They decided to split up to take their own baths and meet back later.
Long Ren walked back upstairs and head towards his room, where another relaxing session awaits.
As he stood beside his bathtub, he opened his ring and took out a bottle filled with green balls. Diona gave him this so he could recover faster.
He took one out and noticed they were just clumped-up green powder. He threw it in the already filled bathtub and it dissolves.
'Isn't this just a bath bomb? A herbal bath bomb?' Long Ren thought. The powder soon dissolves as a unique smell permeates the room. It smelled just like mint yet milder, it didn't sting as much.
Long Ren sniffed the air once and its smell addicted him. He liked it quite a lot. Long Ren wanted to ask Diona about many things yet it made him feel bad, she was not his teacher after all.
He put those thoughts at the back of his mind as he'll cross that bridge when he gets there. For now, he wanted to dip into a mint-green bath.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Long Ren stoop upon a mirror twice his size. He wore a custom made blue T-shirt and short pants. He found this pair of clothes on the wardrobe nearby, casual earth clothing in another world.
He enjoyed the familiar yet forgiend feeling. It looks like a T-Shirt he usually wore, yet its materials beg to differ. Not uncomfortable, just unfamiliar.
He stood at a comfortable 180 cm tall with a lean and trained upper body. He had never flexed his muscles before as a mirror isn't something he had, but now that he tried it, it felt quite fun.
He felt every bit of his trained body and nodded, extremely satisfied with his growth.
Then again, his body is just unaturally built different. Long Ren was sure that even if he hadn't trained as much, just getting enough nutrients would yield only a slightly worse result.
Long Ren thought for a while and felt grateful he gets to come here, even though it started abruptly, everything had only turned for the better as time goes on.
If there were any grievances left from his past, it would only be his family. But, the more he thought about it and how returning would be improbable, the more he turned sad.
He quickly got over it though, as a mere existential crisis isn't something Long Ren needs to worry about.
Surely his past family would be fine, they were fine when they need to take care of him, so they would too when they don't need to. They don't need to spend on him anymore after all…
*BRrrR*
Long Ren shook his head and flared his mouth, done with his daily existential crisis session. He turned his attention back to his body and marveled at it. His tiny narcissistic side was born.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A while later, Long Ren left his room and headed downstairs. Other than a few maids tending to the main room, no one was in it…The room is more like a hall really, with its massive size.
Long Ren sat at a nearby sofa and marveled at the room. Its height surpassed any ballroom he had ever been into, more than 10 meters tall. Enchanting wallpapers decorated its walls while grand unlit chandeliers hung from above.
Although Long Ren had explored Diona's mansion, he had not fully visited every room, this main room included.
After a while, he turned his attentions towards the maids, something he had never seen before, at least not through a screen.
They wore a classic-type maid outfit, no special flair added or the like. A ribbon on her neck, frills to her shoulders, a long white apron and a dress covering her whole lower body, and to top it off, a frilly headband.
They seemed to wear heels as Long Ren heard taps after taps whenever they move about.
Long Ren had never thought about these types of things before as something else always preoccupied his mind. But now that he's free and a specimen laid right in front of him, he quite fancy it.
Some of them noticed his observing gaze and gazed back, popping a smile which Long Ren responded with a smile of his own. He wasn't really being subtle about it after all. A maid approached him as they talked about.
An interesting note Long Ren found was that all of them felt stronger than him. By quite a big margin as well since he can't feel their cultivations, so it's either them being mortals or an ascended cultivator.
And a mortal working at Diona's mansion would be as improbable as Long Ren opening up a portal back to earth, nigh impossible. That means each and every one of them is above rank 10. As expected from Diona.
Long Ren wanted to try his chances against an above-rank 10 cultivator. How strong would they be as compared to Yun Ning? Would they have anything remotely as annoying as her aura? Can they trap him as she could?
That'd be fun.
…
Oops, looks like Yun Ning's battle junkie side leeched on Long Ren.
Oh well~.
Not long after, a door opened, revealing Yun Ning in a fresh T-Shirt and short pants, just like Long Ren. That seemed to be a staple for Diona as she provided everyone with it. It is very comfy, after all.
She explored the room and saw Long Ren already making himself comfortable on one of the sofas, practically sleeping on it. She approached and sat next to his head while dismissing the maids around.
The room soon turned quiet as the final door closed. Long Ren had half-sleepy eyes after talking with the maid while waiting for Yun Ning and Diona. The clock showed [8.30 PM] as they both did spar for quite some time.
Other than dinner, Long Ren would like to do nothing more than to directly fall asleep.
Yun Ning observed his sleepy face and decided to help him. She neared his head even more and lifted it, gently placing them atop her lap.
Long Ren's head now lay atop two soft pillows as his eyes opened wide, meeting Yun Ning's smiling gaze right above. Her right hand caressed his hair slowly as her left stayed idle on Long Ren's chest.
"..." Long Ren opened his mouth yet no words come out. His thoughts ran wild as he realized the dream he had before was in fact, a reality.
It seems like after he passed out, Yun Ning had given him a lap pillow, he was just too mentally tired to realize it, making him think it was but a dream.
Yun Ning's small smile widened as she saw his surprised gaze, everything she does seemed to always surprise him, no matter how small or big. It's like everything felt new or foreign to him.
Yun Ning had decided a while ago to always try and fish out his surprised expression. She wants to see what he has done and what he hasn't. She wants to see what kind of expression will he make when they try new things. She didn't know why, but it just felt natural.
Long Ren saw her smile widen and sighed, a blush slowly appeared on his cheeks as he hid them with his arms. "I don't think even friends do this to each other," Long Ren said, trying his best to not show his embarrassment.
Yun Ning waved him off, "We've done it once, no harm in doing it once more. You enjoy it, I enjoy it. It's fine isn't it?" She said, still brushing his hair gently, playing with his red hair tips.
Her last sentence might seem like a question but Long Ren felt it wasn't. She just stated a fact. A fact he could but won't refute. He may be deprived of friends but he's not dumb, maybe.
"Mnn," Long Ren hummed in response as he let Yun Ning continue playing with his hair. He pulled his hands apart and looked up. He saw her face, a soft smile adorned it, yet, at the corner of his eyes, he saw red on her hands.
If she could play with his hair, then surely he could play with her hands…probably? He just wants to check something anyway.
Long Ren slowly grabbed her idle left hand as she let him be. His right hand now held her left as he saw callouses and bruises on it. Red marks all over, though treated, still felt rough on touch.
"Your hand's rough," Long Ren mumbled without thinking. Unlike her pure white soft thigh, her hands were littered with marks.
His left hand traced her bruised palm, gently touching each red mark. He could feel each callous ripping her dainty skin and the red marks twitched at his contact.
"Mn, It's nothing. They appear if I train too much, Master does have a remedy for it but I haven't taken it in a while," She answered. Then, a small mischievous smile, unbeknownst to Long Ren appeared on her face.
Her left hand moved and suddenly gripped his right, intertwining each finger as she squeezed hard, "See, it doesn't hurt,"
…
Long Ren blushed even harder, he didn't know what to do or say! Is this normal? Surely not! Wait…it is a different world after all, so it's probably normal here right? Right?!
His mind imploded as Yun Ning kept her grip tight, squeezing them together once more. She saw his implosion and laughed with no intention of letting it go for even a bit.
Her laughter entered Long Ren's right ear and left directly from the left as he tried to not blow himself up even more. He's too overloaded!
…
After a while, Yn finally relaxed her hand and rested it on Long Ren's chest, though their hands are still intertwined with each other. Finally, Long Ren had some time to relax, though his blush still stayed as their hands did.
Yun Ning still played with his hair as she let her body relax, slouching back on the couch while maintaining her posture, so as to not make Long Ren uncomfortable.
"Thanks for today," She said as she gently brushed Long Ren's red-hued hair tips off his eyes, meeting his now clear gaze.
Long Ren's blush slowly dispersed as he calmed down, "I had fun too. I don't think I can do it again anytime soon though," He said, smiling apologetically,
"Mn, It's fine, we can slowly decide on it. Just don't bottle things up like before, ok?"
Long Ren hummed in compliance as he felt his head getting patted once more. He really enjoyed this, even though it's something he never thought to ever receive. His head and hand feel warm yet his heart felt even warmer.
"Are you going back tomorrow?"
"I think so, I need to visit Master then I'll see what I'll do." Long Ren answered. He had lived here for two days now and hadn't cultivated with his space chest since. He would like to at least visit his Master and store his chest before coming back.
(A/N: I'm calling the chest full of space artifacts he use to cultivate with "Space Chest", capiche? capiche.)
"Hmn," Yun Ning said. She thought for a while and then remembered something, "Do you want to accompany me to the city tomorrow then?"
"What for?"
"There's a once-in-a-decade auction going on tomorrow at 11 am if I remember correctly at least."
Long Ren thought for a while and nodded, "Sure, I think I can finish everything before that.".
Meeting Xing Lao and taking the chest would take at most one hour. The only thing he needs to do is wake up early, somehow.
"Do you want me to wake you up tomorrow?" Yun Ning giggled as she saw through his thoughts.
Long Ren only rolled his eyes and held his tongue out in response as Yun Ning's smile widened. They very much enjoyed their little idle time together.
~ ~ ~ ~